Some Scars Never Heal
by Ofelia Nat
Summary: Three years after his coronation, Fire Lord Zuko has managed to keep his country away from turmoil and still surrounded in peace. After a series of carefully planned consecutive events threaten his new family and beloved kingdom, matters are leveled up.
1. Chapter 1

_Simple redirection isn't enough_, he told himself. _I have to truly master lightning by creating it_.

Zuko channeled all of his energy into his bending again and again, but all he wound up with were raging blasts of fire. Frustrated, he hurled himself at the ground, landing with a resigning thump.

_Why can't I get this right?_ he asked himself, displeased with his inability to generate his own lightning. _There must be something I'm doing wrong. Maybe Uncle can help me._

With that, the young Fire Lord eased himself up and proceeded to roam about his palace in search of Iroh. Sure enough, he was in his quarters slowly sipping his favorite tea.

Zuko leaned against the doorway and smiled. "Uncle. May I come in?"

Iroh nodded.

There was something off about him that Zuko couldn't quite place. It was almost like he was…lagging.

Zuko shrugged off his thought and sat beside his uncle. "Can I ask you something, Uncle?"

"You want me to teach you to generate lightning."

Zuko tensed. "Yes. How did—"

Iroh chuckled and set his cup down. "If I'm going to do that for you, you need to do something for me as well, nephew."

Zuko raised an eyebrow as a suspicious little half smile curved his uncle's lips.

Iroh took the silence as an invitation to continue. "As I'm sure you know, every Fire Lord needs a Lady. It's been three years, Zuko. Both you and the Avatar have restored peace to the world; it is time for you to settle down, and maybe evengive the Fire Nation an heir."

Zuko scowled, a crimson flush spreading up from under his collar. He was about to shout profanities when he realized the truth in Iroh's words. He frowned at himself.

"To be honest with you," Iroh went on, turning to face his nephew, "I think that is what is preventing you from achieving your goal."

"What do you mean?"

"To generate your own lightning strike requires a greater sense of peace with oneself."

"But I am at peace," he lied straight through his teeth.

"No, Zuko, you are not," said Iroh flatly. "The moment I said "Lady" your body temperature rose twenty degrees."

Zuko inwardly debated whether or not to tell his uncle anything.

"What is it that's bothering you? You can tell me," Iroh pressed.

Sighing glumly, Zuko averted his eyes from his uncle's gaze, instead looking out at the waning moon. He chose his next words carefully. "It's just that I fear I am too much like my father. I fear that if I were to marry the girl I love, I would hurt her."

"Mai?"

His breath halted. "No."

"Who, then?"

Zuko's eyes narrowed. "Forget it. I've said too much already. Goodnight, Uncle."

Iroh was about to protest, but Zuko jumped up and out of the room before another word could be said.

He ran out of the palace and away from everything, to the one place that kept him sane: the turtleduck pond. All of the turtleducks were sound asleep, except for a little one that had woken up to the sound of Zuko's footsteps.

Zuko chuckled as it waddled towards him with its mouth ajar, expecting him to offer food. But Zuko simply sat down and stared off into the distance contemplating Iroh's stern words.

He had broken up with Mai shortly after they'd gotten back together at the end of the war. She wasn't in love with him; she was in love with his power.

Then there was Jin. She was kind and gentle to Zuko back in Ba Sing Se….

Zuko's train of thought was interrupted when he felt a watery plop in his lap. Looking down, he was astonished to find that the little turtleduck had made itself comfortable and fallen asleep. As he stroked its back, he pursed his lips in deep thought.

_Agni_, he thought, _give me a sign_.

The wind howled ferociously all of a sudden, the trees swaying slightly and the leaves rustling. The turtleduck squirmed in his lap.

Zuko sighed. _Poor little guy_, he mused.

He gently placed the turtleduck with its family and smiled when it huddled up to its mother. Upon turning around, he spotted the silhouette of a thin, frail-looking old woman. He couldn't see her facial features, so he instinctively took a step backward.

"Z-Zuko…."

He knew that voice with every fiber of his being. He was able to dash to her side just before she could hit the ground, reaching for her with his sharp reflexes.

A lump began to form in his throat, and his voice wavered. "Mom?"


	2. Chapter 2

After ten long years, she was finally back.

Ursa lay incredibly still on an infirmary bed. Her once long hair was now much shorter, and the vibrance of its color had indeed faded. She had a few minor cuts and scrapes, as well as bruises. If she weren't unconscious, she may have been perfectly all right.

But that was not the case.

Zuko paced back and forth, growing restless with the situation. None of his royal healers could bring his mother out of this slump. This troubled him greatly.

Deep in thought again, he rubbed his jaw, trying to pinpoint a solution.

_Dammit_, he thought. _How could I forget possibly the greatest healer in the world?_ He smiled despite himself, and summoned his messenger hawk. He began scribbling a letter.

_Dear Katara,_

_I need you. I need your help. My mother has returned at last, thank Agni, but she's deathly ill. No one seems to know what's wrong with her. You the best healer I know, and I trust you…._

_Zuko_

Zuko re-read it aloud to make sure it was okay. The hawk squawked, almost as if it were laughing at him.

"Watch it, stupid bird," he grumbled as he secured his letter into the pouch. "Take this to Master Katara, at the South Pole."

The bird cleverly shook its head.

Zuko blinked. And the bird blinked right back.

"What are you waiting for?" he commanded. "Go!"

The bird simply perched itself on his shoulder. There was no way it was going to that cold of a place.

"I'll give you all the grapes you want for a month."

And with that, the messenger hawk was off to the South Pole.

"This is starting to get overly annoying, Snoozles." Toph had her arms crossed stubbornly, scowling.

"I promised Aang I would protect you while he's off meditating or whatever, and I intend to do just that," said Sokka matter-of-factly.

Toph simply scoffed in disdain.

"You know, Aang and Sokka are right," Suki said, attempting to sooth her irritation. "Being the Avatar's wife has its down-sides. Someone could try to assassinate you to prevent the birth of the next airbender."

"But I'm not even that pregnant," she quipped, a sly smile forming at her lips.

"Oh, please." Katara chuckled softly. "If gossip about little things like tea gets around so quickly, imagine how fast the news of another airbender would travel."

"Faster than lightning," Sokka joked. "Ow!"

Toph had punched him in the arm. Hard. "Hm. Sweetness does have a point."

Thus, Sokka continued to remain with the girls wherever they went on Kyoshi Island—as long as they weren't indoors, he would be there with them. He wanted to especially protect them from "man-eating cow-hippos and ferocious saber-tooth moose-lions."

When darkness began to fall that evening, Katara couldn't sleep. She had a weird feeling in her stomach. It wasn't nausea, and it certainly wasn't butterflies. Oddly, it was like a strange sense of dread.

She ventured outside, managing to sneak past Sokka on the way out. She sat as close to the edge as she dared, with her eyes closed, inhaling the salty scent of the ocean. She smiled as the wind wove its way through her long, loose locks.

Just when she was beginning to calm herself down, she felt something on her shoulder. She ignored the feeling, forcing herself to believe she was imagining it. She refused to open her eyes, focusing on the serenity of the waves crashing against the rocks.

Then came an obnoxiously loud screech. Startled, she herself screamed, losing her composure and tumbling backwards.

What she saw when she opened her eyes amazed her. There, on the ground, beside her, was a Fire Nation messenger hawk. It had its head cocked slightly to one side, eying her closely. It wasn't sure if it liked her or not, yet.

Katara noticed that the poor thing was shivering. "Aw," she cooed, picking up the small bird and cradling it in a soft hug. It let out a soft squawk. Yep. It liked her. "What are you doing here sweetie?"

She glanced at the letter pouch; in it were two pieces of paper. One was sealed with a red ribbon, the other with blue. She read the blue first:

_Dearest Daughter,_

_This messenger hawk was sent here for you. I redirected it to Kyoshi Island. It seems like it's a very serious matter. How is my son doing? How is Suki? Am I going to be a grandfather yet? I sure hope so. Write me back if you can. Good luck, Katara._

_Hakoda_

She laughed quietly at her father. He'd already read the red-ribboned letter of course, to make sure she was safe. She brushed off his snide remark about grandparenthood. It was her turn to read the letter.

_Dear Katara,_

_I need you. I need your help. My mother has returned at last, thank Agni, but she's deathly ill. No one seems to know what's wrong with her. You the best healer I know, and I trust you…._

_Zuko_

She gasped. The thought of seeing Zuko again gave her mixed feelings. But she had no time to mull over them—his mother was dying as she sat there doing nothing. She dropped the letters and hopped to her feet.

"Stay here," she told the bird. It gave a questioning squawk, but otherwise obediently waited for her return. She ran back inside in search of a pen and paper. She wrote:

_Zuko,_

_I'm on my way. But I need to keep a watchful eye on Toph and Suki, so they're coming with me._

She paused, not sure of what else she should write.

_Hang in there._

_Katara_


	3. Chapter 3

_Her handwriting is beautiful._

It had been two days since he received her response letter, and yet, here we was, reading it over and over again, admiring the beauty of her calligraphy. He tried to imagine what everyone would look like after three years. He pictured Katara: her dark skin, her luscious locks, her sapphire orbs….

_Snap out of it! Don't even think of her that way. What makes you think that _she_, of all people, would want _you_?_

Ouch. His conscience was harsh today.

_You're just going to ruin things with her all over again. You're going to end up hurting her—maybe even in more ways than one._

Zuko grit his teeth and set the letter down, ignoring his thoughts. It was time to resume his training. He readied himself in an attack stance and took a deep breath. He channeled his energy into his strike, but again, instead of lightning, all he got was fire. Frustrated with himself, he yelled.

"AGNI DAMMIT, WHY CAN'T I GET THIS RIGHT ALREADY?" There were sparks at his fingertips and he was exhaling smoke.

Someone cleared their throat, surprising the Fire Lord. He whirled around to face the intruder, balls of fire already forming in his palms.

The moment he laid his eyes on her, he was stupefied.

_Wow,_ he thought. _She's really grown._

Indeed, she was nothing like the fourteen-year-old she used to be. Her hair was pulled back into a delicate little bun, and the light blue dress she wore was in sharp contrast with her deep blue eyes, not to mention her olive skin; it also flattered her toned body.

Zuko noticed that she wasn't quite making eye contact and that there was a pink tinge to her cheeks. He followed her gaze and ended up staring at his own midriff.

Neither one said a word for nearly five minutes, until Toph approached.

She snickered. "Enough with all the lovey-dovey stuff. _Do_ something with your lives already," she joked, poking Katara.

"Huh? Oh." She shot her a death glare, but facing Zuko again and flashing him the sweet smile he loved. "Hi."

Zuko had to bite down on his lip to keep from bursting out in laughter. _I've never wanted to laugh this much in a while,_ he mused. He plastered a smile to his face and waved. "Hey."

"That's it?" Toph shouted. "You two are way too confusing!"

Zuko's eyebrow twitched. "Hello again, Toph," he said through his teeth, still trying not to laugh.

"Hello yourself, Sparky." She left them alone to talk, silently vowing to keep a watchful ear on the two of them.

Katara gave a nervous laugh. "So, uh, how've you been?"

"Pretty good." He kept his answers short on purpose so that she'd talk more than him. He loved her gentle voice.

"Oh. That's nice."

There was an awkward silence.

"So, uh," Zuko started, "I'll show you to the infirmary just so you can have an idea of where it is."

"All right."


	4. Chapter 4

"Do you know what happened to her?"

Katara was prying open her vial of Spirit Oasis water and glancing up at Zuko.

"Actually, no. She just sort of…fainted and never woke up."

Katara gently placed a hand on Ursa's forehead and then frowned. Of course her forehead would be hot. She placed her hand on Ursa's neck in search of a pulse; there was one, but it was much too faint. Katara gasped.

_That's not good._

"What's wrong?" asked Zuko, like he'd read Katara's mind.

She hesitated, trying to find the right way to say her next words. "She's slipping."

His good eye widened. "What do you mean?"

"Her bridge between unconsciousness and death is narrowing."

She heard him stop breathing. He had that horrible lump in his throat, and if he was going to cry, he certainly wouldn't let Katara see it. He turned away from her. He felt a gentle touch on his shoulder.

Katara managed to give him a small smile. "Don't worry. Everything's going to be fine."

Zuko didn't say anything.

"You should leave. Do something to take your mind off of this." She felt weirdly awkward touching him for some reason. Zuko didn't seem to think anything of it, so she shrugged her feelings off.

Shaking his head, Zuko left the room, leaving Katara to heal his mother.

_That's a lot of trust to put into me._

She took a deep breath and bended the water so that it encased her hands like mittens. She then placed one hand of Ursa's forehead, resting the other one on her chest. Katara was shocked by the sheer amount of negative energy that surrounded Ursa's chakra.

_Oh, Spirits, no. Internal injuries?_

The last time she'd tried to heal internal injuries, she hadn't succeeded. But then again, it's been three years, and her abilities had matured quite well. She shuddered as she remembered her attempts to heal Jet. He had told her to go, that he would be fine. But he was lying. And now, because of her, he was gone.

She remembered hating Jet with an intense, icy passion. Even after all of her hate had been hurled at him—literally, at times—he had saved her life.

She remembered having that same icy animosity for Prince Zuko. The scene of him nonchalantly taunting her with her mother's necklace while she was tied to a tree flashed before her eyes. She distinctly recalled his actions in Ba Sing Se: he'd spilled his heart out to her almost completely, only to betray her immediately thereafter.

With a smile, she remembered that it was Zuko who led her to Yon Rha, the man who had mercilessly taken her mother away from her. He'd helped her find closure and achieve inner peace.

With a grimace she remembered the day of his Agni Kai with Azula. Her rapidly deteriorating composure could have easily led to her defeat, if only she wasn't so vicious in her attack. After Zuko had coaxed her to strike him with lightning, she had been about to do just that, until she noticed the wide-eyed Katara standing vulnerably not too far behind him. Instead of aiming at Zuko and risking having it redirected right back at her, she thrust the bolt towards Katara.

And Zuko had dived in front of her to save her.

She had to save him. She just had to. The sight of him writhing in the aftershocks of pain was unbearable. She'd knelt over him, willing her chi to fix him, to keep him from leaving her. She'd run her hands across his chest, inevitably healing him. She had felt the heat rising to her cheeks; luckily for her, Zuko hadn't noticed. Much to her dismay, however, he'd sat up as soon as he felt that the wound was healed, denying her the ability to explore him further. She knew that she shouldn't have been thinking such thoughts—what with the circumstances of the situation and everything—but she couldn't help herself. He was just so…perfect, almost, with his pale skin, his muscular arms, his rigid abs….

_Stop. Right now. He has a girlfriend. And besides, he doesn't think of you that way. Just focus on healing Lady Ursa._

And that was exactly what she did. For the next several hours she sat in the exact same position, determined to do whatever it took to heal Ursa. It was to be a sincere thank you to Zuko, as well as an apology. She'd been an absolute bitch, and she knew it. There was no excuse.

Time passed, and eventually, the young Waterbender felt her energy extremely depleted. She hadn't eaten anything at all for the entire day, but she didn't care. She didn't give the slightest damn.

As she was retreating from the infirmary to the comfort of the room she shared with Toph and Suki, she heard the familiar sounds of a certain frustrated Fire Lord. Ever so slowly, she inched towards the source of his voice.

The door to his room was wide open, but he had his lights turned off. Katara didn't mind. He looked absolutely perfect with just the gentle glow of the moonlight and the fire he bended so skillfully illuminating his room. She found that she was biting her lips as she watched him bend. The fierce look of determination on his face seemed to emphasize the sparkle in his amber eyes. The hard set of his jaw added to his overall masculinity. And, of course, his bare midriff had Katara seriously doubting some of her moral values.

She didn't know how long she'd been standing there, but she finally came to her senses when she was forced to stifle a yawn of pure fatigue. Turning to continue to her room, she noticed that a guard—no, two guards—were silently watching her every move. It was, of course, their duty to protect the Fire Lord. However, when they noticed the pink tinge of her cheeks and how she was biting her lip, they realized her innocence. She was simply spying because of attraction.

When one of the guards grinned at her, Katara shyly smiled back and retreated, walking briskly, looking forward to the luxury of her bed.

She was so tired that she simply collapsed onto the bed, unable to hold back her aching need to sleep any longer. Just before she drifted off, she was laying on her back, staring up on the ceiling.

_I have a crush on the Fire Lord._

She smiled, finally giving in.

She slept deeply that night.


	5. Chapter 5

The palace was dead quiet. There wasn't a single room light on, and with good reason—the night was well past witching hour. Only the corridors and passageways remained illuminated.

Suki stealthily crept along the corridors in search of the servants pantry, where there was bound to be a vast selection of Fire Nation delectables waiting to be discovered.

She halted immediately. There in front of her was one of the Fire Lord's guards slumbering deeply, directly in front of the kitchen door. He looked utterly out of character and completely ridiculous. He was awkwardly slumped against the door, snoring like a pig and a whistle simultaneously, completely unaware of Suki's presence. She had to slap her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing aloud. She couldn't risk waking him up and having to explain to him why she needed to eat at this time of the night. It was already a matter of time before Toph and Katara realized she was pregnant. Toph would soon be able to hear the baby's heartbeats, and Katara's impeccable perception would lead her to suspect.

She did her best to go through the door without waking the guard up. Making sure to thoroughly examine her surroundings for any signs of activity, she began rummaging through the contents of the pantry.

iLet's see here… fire gummies, jennamite, leechi nuts, jook…. That's weird. I didn't know they eat Earth Kingdom food too. How 'bout that?/i

She grabbed a handful of fire gummies and sat down at the long, regal dining table. Just as she was about to pop a gummy into her mouth, she heard someone pointedly clear their throat. She flinched and whirled around in her chair.

"Hello," came his smooth voice.

"H-How did you know I was in here?" She slightly narrowed her eyes at him.

He shrugged. "I have sensitive ears." He paused. "I wouldn't eat those if I were you. You'll burn your tongue off."

Her eyes widened, and she set the fire gummies down on the table wordlessly.

Zuko raised a brow in curiosity. "So, why exactly are you in here this late?"

After a few seconds of hesitation, she sighed. "I had a craving to eat something sweet."

"You had a…oh." He paused. "iOh/i."

Suki smiled at him. The cat was finally out of the bag. And who better to find out first than the Fire Lord himself?

"Here," he said, handing her a small fruit tart. "Eat this."

She grinned. "Thank you." He was already turning to leave, but Suki still had one more thing to say. "Wait!"

Zuko stopped walking and turned to face her, a questioning look on his face.

"You won't tell anyone will you? I want them to find out on their own, you know?"

"Hm. In that case, we never had this conversation." He flashed her a sly wink, letting her know that it would indeed be their secret.

Katara was just wrapping up Ursa's daily healing session when Toph angrily barged in.

"KATARA! I HATE YOU!"

She chuckled softly. "No, sweetie, you don't."

"YES I DO! YOU TOLD THE STUPID GUARDS THAT I'M NOT ALLOWED TO DO ANY STUPID EARTHBENDING UNDER ZUKO'S STUPID ORDERS!"

"Yes. I did." She smiled to herself. i The hormones are finally getting to her, I think./i

She stormed off in a blazing rage, leaving Katara alone once more. Luckily, this meant that she could take a very much deserved afternoon nap. Feeling rather sluggish, she headed back to her shared quarters. To her surprise, she found Suki having a seemingly enjoyable conversation with the Fire Lord.

"Oh. Um, I'm sorry," she murmured, her words coming out a little slurred. She avoided eye contact with the both of them, instead staring blankly at nothing. Suki noticed this.

"Katara. What's wrong?"

She got no answer, for Katara's eyes lulled closed and she began to sway woozily. Then, with little warning, she collapsed to the ground, hitting her head quite hard against the ground. A soft exhalation of pain escaped her lips before she went limp. All consciousness was lost.

"Shit!" Zuko instantly bolted out of the room to get a nurse.

A scream ripped from Suki's throat as she witnessed her friend dying pale-faced right before her.


End file.
